Review My Pale Ale...

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tdiowa

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Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
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Location
Iowa City
I am planning on making a Pale Ale to get ready for summer. I have tried many recipes in the past, all with a varying degree of success. I have tweaked my current recipe and have come up with this one. Could my friends here at HBT please review/critique my mini mash recipe and make suggestions.. Right now I am struggling with the Hops

Thank you in advance...
TD


Pale Ale
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 8.38
Anticipated OG: 1.056 Plato: 13.73
Anticipated SRM: 10.5
Anticipated IBU: 33.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 lbs. Breiss DME-Pilsen Light America
3.00 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) America
0.75 lbs. Crystal 20L America
0.50 lbs. Caramel Pils Malt Belgium
0.50 lbs. Honey Malt Canada
0.50 lbs. Vienna Malt America
2.00 oz Chocolate Malt America

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 13.8 60 min.
0.25 oz. Chinook Pellet 13.00 15.6 60 min.
0.50 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 2.8 10 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.60 0.9 5 min.

Extras
Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 Whirl Flock Fining 15 Min.(boil)

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP001 California Ale
 
I like to keep my pale ale's grain bill simple, and not go too crazy with the hop varieties either.

I'd lose the chocolate and vienna for sure, maybe even drop the honey...as for carapils---you don't need it whatsoever in a pale ale. My best pale ales and IPA's have all had a large percentage of Victory Malt, one of my all-time favorites. It adds a great malty toastiness to the palate, and complements the hops quite nicely. You could keep the honey malt too---I've made great beers with it too---but I'd definitely use some Victory---or, failing that, toast some 2-row yourself in the oven.

As for the hops, I like plenty of hop character in my pale ale, so I'd backload it more than you've done here. My schedule goes 60-20-10-5-2-0. All Cascade. If you want to keep it maltier, then your schedule above looks fine. Willamette is a great hop for ales like this, it lends a great woody spiciness.

It's up to you, really...but feel free to check out my Sweet Baby Jesus recipe in my pulldown.
 
3.00 lbs. Breiss DME-Pilsen Light America
4.00 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) America
0.50 lbs. Crystal 20L America
0.50 lbs. Vienna Malt America

My grain bill would look more like this. I try not to have more than 3 grains going in my Pale Ales & IPAs. KISS...
 
I would use just Chinook to bitter if you have more and use the Cascades later in the boil. I am assuming the chocolate is for color only but I don't think you need it.
 
Thanks!!! You have given me something to think about. I had initially stuck the chocolate in to give it a subtle taste. By deleting it and the Vienne and adding the Victory I can see where I can regain a dry toasty taste. How much Victory would you use for a Mini Mash???

TD
 
That honey malt is gonna be too much. I wouldn't use it at all, but if you want a slight honey taste consider dropping it to 0.25. I've used 0.5# in a brew and it was too honey like.
 
You could also sub some Munich for the Vienna (or Munich extract, since Munich and Vienna both really need to be mashed) and get some of the color that the chocolate would have produced.
 
Taking everything so far into consideration this is what I have formulated. Again please review/critique my mini mash recipe and make suggestions.. Right now I am struggling with the Hops. But I know I am getting close

Thanks again TD

Pale Ale

Grain/Extract/Sugar
Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 lbs. Breiss DME-Pilsen Light America 1.046 2
3.00 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) America 1.036 2
0.75 lbs. Victory Malt America 1.034 25
0.75 lbs. Crystal 20L America 1.035 20
0.25 lbs. Honey Malt Canada 1.030 18

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Chinook Pellet 13.00 31.6 60 min.
0.50 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 2.8 15 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.60 0.9 5 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP001 California Ale
 
tdiowa said:
Taking everything so far into consideration this is what I have formulated. Again please review/critique my mini mash recipe and make suggestions.. Right now I am struggling with the Hops. But I know I am getting close

Thanks again TD

Pale Ale

Grain/Extract/Sugar
Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 lbs. Breiss DME-Pilsen Light America 1.046 2
3.00 lbs. Pale Malt (2-Row) America 1.036 2
0.75 lbs. Victory Malt America 1.034 25
0.75 lbs. Crystal 20L America 1.035 20
0.25 lbs. Honey Malt Canada 1.030 18

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Chinook Pellet 13.00 31.6 60 min.
0.50 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 2.8 15 min.
0.25 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.60 0.9 5 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Looks a lot better, but I'd still drop that Crystal to .5lb. I would also save that 5 minute addition for flameout or dryhopping...
 
Done Deal, Thanks everyone for helping with this recipe. Can't wait to try it and I will be sure to let everyone know how it turns out!!!!

TD
 
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